Providence By Caroline Kepnes Review

What is this book about? Jon and Chloe are 8th graders who really understand each other. They’re best friends and Chloe doesn’t care that Jon’s a little weird. But one day Jon is kidnapped. He’s missing for four years. But one day he wakes up in the basement of the local mall surrounded by plants, with a heavily annotated copy of The Dunwich Horror on his bedside table. He escapes from the mall and his only thoughts are of Chloe. But life has moved on and Jon is changed somehow. People who get near him get sick. Jon is afraid to see Chloe. Before he can hurt her in any way, he runs. But Chloe isn’t going to let him go so easy.

Review: This book kind of pulls a bait and switch. It hints at Lovecraftian horror, and Lovecraft definitely plays a big part. But the bulk of the book is dedicated to Jon and Chloe pining away for each other. A bit later in the book, we’re introduced to Eggs, a detective trying to solve a series of bizarre deaths several years after the initial events of the book. He starts out as interesting but also gets wrapped up in this weird love story. This book reads like Nicholas Sparks has discovered Lovecraft and also vaguely remembers “Rappaccini’s Daughter” from high school. It was unique, but maybe not for horror purists.

Three words that describe this book: Supernatural, Noir, Mushy

Give this a try if you like… Unbreakable (movie), Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Rogue and Gambit as the ultimate couple